Thoughts from the Tortoise Shack

Tag: Human Rights

We get the government that we demand, and today’s guest in the Tortoise Shack, Journalist and Staff Writer with the Journal.ie, Paul Hosford, thinks we all(mainstream media, social media and the world outside the bubble)need to demand better if we want to live in a better country. Paul shares his views on everything from Facebook, the 8th Campaign, the Irish political process and even the Journal’s comments section.

Movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp have inspired millions of people to share their stories about sexual violence.
Today in the tortoise shack we are joined by Human Rights lawyer and Chief Executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Noeline Blackwell, to discuss the changes happening in Irish society and the changes yet to come. We also discuss the Cervical Check Scandal and the choices facing someone who becomes pregnant by rape faces under the 8th Amendment.

The phrase “a Catholic ethos” hangs over Irish society. Today’s guest in the tortoise shack, Lawyer and Campaigner for Education Equality, Paddy Monahan, wants to take that phrase, along with religion out of schools and stop the discriminatory practices that make a Baptismal Cert a passport to education. Whether it’s the schools or the National Maternity Hospital, we need to grow up as a country and we deserve a government that will no longer outsource education and health to the church.

We hear so much about the two tier economy, but what does that really mean? Today’s guest in the tortoise shack, Tara Deacy, is(among her many roles)Prevention Officer with the Clondalkin Drug and Alcohol Task Force. She sees first hand what the devastation that austerity cuts have caused in already socially disadvantaged areas. But through her work with the local communities, her desire to get into politics(Social Democrats Rep Dublin South Central) and her optimism for people she has us convinced we can be better than this.

EU bureaucrats make decisions that make huge differences in all our lives, for better and for worse. That’s why we are glad that our guest in the tortoise shack, MEP Luke Ming Flanagan, is on the ground in Brussels and fighting our corner. You’ve never heard Luke this animated, mainly because the mainstream never give him the opportunity, but we think you’re going to love this!

The dreamers of the day can make a better world. Our guest in the tortoise shack, Comedian, Documentary Maker, Activist and the founder of Home Sweet Home, Dean Scurry has a vision for a fairer and better society. Not only that, but he knows that in Ireland we are only one phone call away from getting past those “complex issues”. Dean knows a better country is possible, Apollo House was only his first run at it.

Not all heroes wear capes, and today’s guest in the tortoise shack is a hero. Clare O’Connor is working with Action Against Sexual Violence Ireland(@aasvi)to help change the way we teach our kids about sex. She is also at the coalface of the housing crisis in her role as Director of Inner City Helping Homlessness(@ICHHDUBLIN) and is now helping the families of the Stardust Fire seek justice. We talk about all of this and then some.

Social Media can be a bit of a dark place. But today’s guest in the tortoise shack, writer and activist Ruth Fitzpatrick(@RuthieFizz)is a colourful and creative social media phenomenon. Her twitter threads, using animal pictures and childlike language to explain the most difficult of subjects are must reads. Ruth, as you will hear, is way smarter than the average Bear, nose. Give this woman a book deal!

The referendum to Repeal the 8th amendment isn’t a vote to stop abortion coming to Ireland. It is already a reality here. It is a vote to take it out of the shadows and treat women as individuals and not as vessels. Director, Writer and Activist Karl Callan’s short film, Repeal punches you in the gut and shows that reality in 12 minutes. We also have that MANEL discussion on why men need to get out, support and vote in this crucial referendum. You can watch the film here.
#Together4Yes

Award winning actor, writer, director and activist, John Connors came into the tortoise and shared his thoughts on the section of society most disadvantaged(as per Social Justice Ireland), Travellers. We talk about discrimination, the challenges facing Travellers, the need for real equality and why culture and the arts still matter. Strong language and mature themes.